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Old 05-18-2007, 11:41 AM   #10
Ronzi
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Denver CO
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bavarian Motorist
1) 2.7l on the Boxster. Porsche is still managing to squeeze out power from this relatively small engine, but why not increase displacement a little? It's amazing they are holding their own in this class while still having barely more displacement than a Honda s2000.


2.9-3.0l would be great for increasing torque, power, and keeping up with the competition. So why is it that Porsche maintains the smaller displacement for all these years?


Thanks and any insight will be appreciated :-)

Porsche has a history, as far back as you care to look, of dribbling out little performance improvements over a period of years to make the new model just a teensy bit better than the last one. This plainly is a marketing strategy intended to keep the product line fresh and to extract the last dollar from an adoring public.
To an extent this is "good", if that's the word, for us as buyers of their product, since it takes a while for the old model to get too much outdistanced, performancewise, by the new models.
As an example, the 356 went from 1100cc, to 1200, 1300, 1500, and finally 1600cc.
The air-cooled 911 was intro'd at 2000cc, then 2.4, 2.7, 3.0, 3.2, 3.4, and finally the 3.6 and 3.8 engines. I think that was about the limit the air-cooled sixes could handle without a major re-design.
The Boxster is probably going to remain a couple of steps behind wherever the 911 is at. As the 911 engine steps up in size and power, the Box will too, but always a little bit behind.

PS - I think I missed one; I think there was a 2.2 liter 911, too.

Last edited by Ronzi; 05-18-2007 at 11:46 AM.
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